Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari today ordered the lifting of the ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria, but only if certain conditions are met, including use and registration “positives” from the social network in Nigeria.
In allusion to that country's Independence Day, with more than 200 million inhabitants, Buhari reported that a government team has achieved “extended commitments” with Twitter and, following these, gave “order that the suspension be lifted, but only if the conditions are met and allow our citizens to continue to use the platform for positive business and engagement".
Nigeria suspended Twitter's operation last June 04, where it claimed the decision was due to a “persistent use of the platform for activities likely to undermine Nigeria's business existence".
This decision by that country's President has sparked many criticisms and concerns that Buhari could be following the same path of repression of freedom of expression that took place in the 80s during his rule as Nigeria's military ruler.
The ban was announced shortly after the social network deleted a post by the head of state in which he threatened to treat separatists "in the tongue” that would “understand“, even though an official Nigerian position denied that the deleted post was the reason for the decision.
In that same publication, Buhari condemned attacks on buildings in the southeast of the country – police stations, prisons and offices of the Electoral Commission – for which the government blamed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group that pursues the secession of that region of Nigeria.
BUT: Nigerian government announces indefinite suspension of Twitter
In his tweet, the President, who served as a general in the 1967-70 civil war against the secessionist provinces of Biafra, said that “many of those who are doing wrong today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of life that occurred. during the war”.
"Those of us who have been on the (battle)field for thirty months, who have lived through war, let us deal with them in the language they understand“added Buhari.
Many Twitter users at the time denounced the publication and criticized the President for comparing recent violent events to an armed conflict that killed around 100.000 military personnel in combat and between 500.000 and two million civilians from starvation.
In its defense, the social network explained that the tweet of the head of state violated its rules, namely publications that incite or promote violence against an individual or a group of people, so it had deleted it.
Abuja's decision to suspend Twitter's operation in Nigeria following the deletion of the President's tweet shows that Buhari's government “prefers authoritarianism to democracy", said Idayat Hassan, an activist at the Center for Democracy and Development in West Africa, quoted by the Associated Press agency.
BUT: Nigeria argues that social media must register in the country to continue operations
Many Nigerians, mostly young people, have found a way around the ban by using virtual private network (VPN) applications, but many business entities – some on which the Nigerian economy depends – have complied with the directive.
Restrictions on access to telecommunications have had an economic cost for Africa's most populous country, with more than 64 million young people. According to the NetBlocks, which is studying the cost of blocking Internet access around the world, Nigeria may be losing 103,1 million naira (about 150 million kwanza) for every hour of blocking, which has lasted for more than 100 days. .
